Love-in-Idleness
by Za Metallium
Summary: Puck (of Gargoyles fame) decides to play with the Slayers gang. Old, silly fic.


**Love-in-Idleness**   
by [Za Metallium][1], Trickster Priestess 

  
[*]This is an old fanfic. How old? This is the first time Zel was called "Stone Boy." Yeah, _that_ old.   

    
     @}->--- <{@}> ---<-{@

The figure floated lazily, keeping to the shadows. He couldn't have his playthings seeing him, after all. He'd been watching them for the better part of a day, simply observing, planning, preparing. He wasn't called the Great Trickster for nothing, after all. 

He stayed hidden in the shadows, but needn't have bothered; all the little group was asleep. The chimera, Lina Inverse, and the swordsman were asleep, the later two snoring loudly. The dark-haired princess, who seemed to be the one taking the first watch, had also fallen asleep, propped up against a tree. 

It was all the chimera's fault, he decided, since it had been Stone Boy who had pushed the group forward well after sundown. As far as he was able to tell, the blue-skinned young man had another lead to the whereabouts of his cure, and was anxious to move ahead. This information had been gleaned from the petite sorceress' tirade an hour or so before; she'd "convinced" her friend that it was time to stop for the night. Such sport! The chimera was terribly amusing. 

As was the sorceress, the famous and infamous Lina Inverse, for that matter. That was what had given him his brilliant idea. He regarded the lovely purple flower he held in his hand. 

"Puck, my boy," he said to himself, "you have stumbled on to some _grand_ fun."   


Love-in-idleness was a beautiful flowering plant, the petals a deep purple rimmed in black, the stamen startlingly red. Relatively few outside the fey even knew of its existance, and no one outside Oberon's children could get to it, as it grew only on the mystical island of Avalon. 

Puck was quite pleased with his home. He'd been bored out of his wits, and worse, the Wyrd Sisters had decided to bug him about his 'disrespect.' Puh-_leeze_. So, he'd hopped on a raft and sailed to Somewhere. This particular Somewhere was quite interesting. 

He'd been Somewhere for several days, mostly hanging about a town, looking for amusement. And, Oberon's wrath, had he ever found it! In his short time Somewhere, Puck had heard several stories about Lina Inverse, the fiery-maned, fiery-tempered bandit killer and dragon spooker. And such luck! Lina's little gang had passed through the town. Of course, Puck had followed. 

Lina's little coterie was nearly as amusing as the sorceress herself. There was the swordsman, who had taken stupidity to a level far above anything Puck had encountered (which was saying a lot); the little princess, obsessed with Justice and Stone Boy; and, of course, the terribly amusing chimera, who made a lovely straight man. 

Puck grinned. This would be SO much fun. The princess loved Stone Boy—or at least Puck assumed from the way she tried to cling to him—and the chimera did not love her in return—which Puck assumed from the way Stone Boy had tried to remove the princess. It was even possible that the swordsman loved Lina Inverse, although it was difficult to be certain with such sublime stupidity. _Lord, what fools these mortals be!_

That was where the love-in-idleness came in. Puck's grin widened. Such a show this would be! 

A simple spell to put the group into a deeper sleep was the first order of business, and was easily done. Another simple spell and Lina Inverse and Stone Boy were a dozen handspans away from the others, hidden behind a thicket. 

Puck hovered over the flame-tressed sorceress and squeezed the love-in-idleness over her eyes. Her eyes twitched as several drops of purplish liquid hit her eyelids. Puck considered using the flower on Stone Boy as well, then thought better of it. _It'll be more amusing with him 'sober'._

Puck chuckled to himself, then zoomed over to his other victims. He glanced at the princess, and decided she'd done his work for him; she was already infatuated with the chimera. _I wonder how Stone Boy will handle _two_ girls chasing him?_ the fey wondered wickedly. 

Finally, Puck dropped love-in-idleness onto the swordsman's eyes. 

Then, laughing quietly, he waited for dawn, when the sport would begin. 
    
    ---<-{@

_Mornings are just too bloody bright,_ Zelgadiss decided upon awakening. His eyes adjusted to the sunlight and Zel glanced around in confusion. This wasn't where he'd been last night! How in the world did he get behind the thicket...? 

Lina lay near him, still asleep. Maybe she knew what was going on. 

He moved to shake her awake, then paused. Did he really want to face Lina right after she woke up? She was barely human before breakfast... 

Rationalizing that she _probably_ wouldn't Dragu Slave him before he could say something, Zel shook the tiny red-head and said softly, "Wake up, Lina. Something weird is going on." _Weirder than usual, anyway._

"Whaaaaat? It's early..." she mumbled, opening her eyes. Suddenly she looked stunned and stared at him, eyes wide. 

"What's wrong?" Zel asked, concerned. 

She blinked, and her expression became soft. Smiling up at him, she replied, "Nothing." 

Lina's expression made Zel more than a little uncomfortable, but he bravely returned to the matter at hand. "We were moved in the night." 

Lina looked around briefly, then gazed at Zel again. "We're not far, though; we were on the other side of these bushes last night." Lina smiled sweetly, "I don't think we need to worry. I certainly don't mind." 

"....." Lina didn't mind? He thought she'd be furious someone dared such a thing, yet she was saying she didn't mind! And there was something about her smile...something strange was definitely going on. 
    
    @}->---

Gourry yawned and stretched. Time for breakfast. He wondered where Lina was. She'd been right next to him last night. Gourry looked around...and all thoughts of Lina, or of breakfast, or of anything else, flew from his head when he saw the still-sleeping Amelia leaning against a nearby tree. 
    
    ---<-{@

Amelia was having a lovely dream. Zelgadiss-san hugging her, calling her "my dearest one." 

Wait. That wasn't Zelgadiss-san's voice...it sounded like... 

Amelia opened her eyes and screeched. Gourry-san was holding her! 

"What's wrong, my sweetest?" the blond asked. 
    
    @}->---

Puck nearly fell off his tree banch perch laughing when the swordsman called the princess "my sweetest." 
    
    ---<-{@

Zelgadiss heard Amelia screech. _So much for a moment to think..._

He stood and Lina followed suit, although she looked rather put-out. Well, he could worry about that later. Right now he had a hysterical princess to deal with. 
    
    @}->---

Puck frowned. Did Miss Inverse have some sort of magical resistance? She certainly wasn't _acting_ like she was under the influence of love-in-idleness... 
    
    ---<-{@

Lina scowled. The morning had started out so nicely, and Amelia had to go and ruin it. 

Something had been different when she'd awakened to Zel's worried face. It wasn't as if she'd had a revelation, or felt something new; it was more like she was hyper-aware of emotions she usually dismissed or kept buried. These feelings seemed magnified to the point of physical pain; her chest ached with their intensity. _I wonder why..._

Lina had no time to ponder, however. That annoying Sailoon loon was doing her barnacle impression and clinging to Zel, yelling something Lina didn't bother to listen to. 

"Excuse me, Amelia," Lina said with sacchrine sweetness, tapping the younger girl's shoulder. 

"Yes, Lina-san?" Amelia looked at Lina with confusion. Lina allowed herself a rather wicked smile. 

"That's MY man you're clinging to. Let go, or I'll _make_ you let go." 
    
    @}->---

Puck grinned. _Guess the love-in-idleness is working after all._
    
    ---<-{@

Zel was stunned. Had he heard Lina correctly? Had she just said— 

"How **dare** you talk that way to Amelia-san!" 

Gourry was yelling at _Lina_? Over Lina's treatment of _Amelia_? 

_Forget wrong. The world is upside-down and inside-out._

"But Lina-san—" Amelia sounded as confused as Zel felt. 

"I _did_ warn you," Lina said with a truly diabolical smile. She grabbed the princess, who was too shocked to resist, and tossed the dark-haired girl into the nearby thicket. 

And Lina began chanting the Dragu Slave incantation. 
    
    @}->---

Oho, this wasn't good. Big Daddy Oberon would be very displeased if a mortal was fried because of Puck's playing. And that could mean getting grounded for a few decades. Coyote and Raven would never let him hear the end of it. _I'd better do something._
    
    ---<-{@

Zel was bug-eyed as Gourry charged at Lina, actually drawing his sword. Finally gathering his wits, Zel tackled the blond as he yelled, "Lina, DON'T!" 

"But Zeeeelllll...," Lina whined, pausing her recitation of the spell. 

"Please." Zel managed to sound calm dispite the struggling swordsman he had pinned to the ground. "As to you, Gourry..." Zel thought quickly, "Shouldn't you be checking on Amelia, instead of attacking your best friend?" 

"Um, I guess," was Gourry's typically brilliant reply. Zel rolled his eyes. Even in complete insanity, some things remained constant, Gourry's intelligence being one of them. 
    
    @}->---

Nevermind. He wouldn't have to do anything after all. Puck grinned ear-to-ear. This was getting good! 
    
    ---<-{@

Zel was at a loss, he had to admit. Things were utterly insane! Gourry was doting on Amelia, or at least attempting to; Amelia was trying to figure out _why_ Gourry was doting on her; and Lina...Zel sighed. 

"What's wrong, Zel?" Lina asked, tightening her grip on his arm. 

And Lina was acting as if they were a couple! After Zel had been satisfied that Gourry was _not_ going to try to hurt Lina, and had released the blond, Lina had latched onto his arm, and was looking at him with the most unnervingly adoring expression. It was crazy! It was irrational! 

It was...really very pleasant, actually. 

And it was not what he should be concentrating on right now. _Both Lina and Gourry have suddenly developed affections they showed no sign of previously. It doesn't _feel_ like a 'normal' love spell was cast, however._

Of course, it didn't help that Lina was interfering with his concentration by snuggling up against him. 

Things were relatively calm now. It couldn't hurt to just enjoy this for a few moments, could it...? 

"EEEEEKKKKK!" SLAP!! 

Okay, maybe it could. 
    
    @}->---

Lina pouted as Zelgadiss turned in the direction of Amelia's scream. Well, if Amelia thought she could get Zel's attention, she was sadly mistaken. 

As she realised Amelia's scream had been due to Gourry's attempt to kiss the princess, Lina had a brilliant idea. 

"Hey, Zel," Lina called, tugging at the distracted chimera's cloak. 

"Hm?" was Zel's preoccupied reply. 

Lina threw her arms around his neck. Zel staggered back, the most adorable look of surprise on his face. 

_Hah, I can be a distraction, too!_ Lina thought proudly as she proceeded to kiss the chimera soundly. 
    
    ---<-{@

To say Amelia was confused would be like saying Gourry-san was a little dim. Gourry-san was trying to kiss her! Why in the name of Justice would he be doing that? 

_And Lina-san is acting like...like...like she's madly in love with Zelgadiss-san, just like I am._

"**Please**, Gourry-san. Stop this at once!" 

"You don't like me?" the blond asked, looking so incredibly pathetic that Amelia cringed. 

"I...didn't say _that_, I just—" 

"You DO like me?" 

"I didn't say THAT, either!" 

"Oh." Gourry-san seemed to be thinking hard; Amelia could tell because his ears turned bright red, looking as if steam could appear any minute. Amelia considered telling him to stop before he broke something when the swordsman's face lit up with understanding. 

"It's Zel, isn't it? You don't like me 'cos you like **him**!" 

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, what are you TALKING about?" 

With rare insight, Gourry-san said, "I'm just saying that if you're waiting for Zel, you're probably gonna have to wait a long time." 

"What do—" 

Amelia looked past the swordsman and saw just what he was talking about: Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san were kissing! No, they were **Kissing**, with a capital 'K.' 

Amelia wanted to cry. So she did. 
    
    @}->---

Zelgadiss had always prided himself on keeping a cool head in any situation, however complex or dangerous. 

So much for that; at the moment he was finding it difficult to even think at all. As for keeping cool... well, that was at the opposite end of the temperature spectrum from what he was feeling right now. He knew there was something he was supposed to be doing, other than kissing Lina, but he couldn't, for the life of him, remember what it was. 
    
    ---<-{@

Gourry looked at his darling, who had started to cry. He must do something about that! 

"Don't worry, Amelia," he said brightly. "I'll fix everything." 

Gourry drew his sword, since most problems he'd encountered had been fixed with it. 

"Gourry-san, DON'T!" his sweetest cried. 

"Okay. Whatever you want, my love." He pretended not to notice how Amelia flinched when he called her 'love.' 
    
    @}->---

_Stupid need to breathe,_ Lina thought as she had to pull away from Zel to get some air. 

Lina couldn't help but giggle at Zel's wide-eyed, shocked expression. He looked like he was about to say something. 

"No, no, Zel, kiss now, talk later," Lina prefaced before kissing him again. 
    
    ---<-{@

"Well well well," a voice cut through the air, painfully cheerful with a dark undercurrent. "What have we **here**?" 

A smiling, purple-haired man holding a staff had appeared in the middle of Puck's little play. Something about that smile bothered Puck; it reminded him a lot of his own, but with a dangerous, almost evil edge. _This is a bad thing._
    
    @}->---

Zel's first impulse upon hearing Xelloss' voice was, as always, to do servere bodily harm to the priest. 

His second impulse was to blame the Trickster Priest for the current madness, but the look Xelloss was giving Zel—eyes open yet narrowed, mouth curved in a tight, sneering smile—told Zel that the priest was not pleased with this turn of events. 

His third impulse was to taunt the priest. 

None of those impulses were good ideas. So, Zel did the only thing he could do, under the circumstances. 

"Hello, Xelloss." 
    
    ---<-{@

Xelloss was not a happy mazoku. 

Gourry seemed to be infatuated with the princess. That was rather amusing. 

Lina-chan seemed to be infatuated with the chimera. That was not amusing, not amusing at all. 
    
    @}->---

"Hullo, Xelloss." 

Lina wondered vaguely why the priest had shown up now. They weren't doing anything particularly interesting. _Well, at least not interesting to _other_ people,_ she thought, looking sidelong at Zel. 

"Hello, Lina-chan," Xelloss greeted. 

"Are you going to join us for breakfast?" she asked, reluctantly releasing Zel as she remembered they hadn't yet eaten. 

"I'm afraid I have some pressing business to attend to, but I will be back. Soon." 

"Suit yourself." Lina shrugged. 
    
    ---<-{@

_Something bad is about to happen,_ Puck concluded. 

Moments later, Puck had the dubious honour of being completely correct. 
    
    @}->---

Love-in-idleness. It had to be. He had sensed no formal spell, and that flower could produce similar results. 

Love-in-idleness also meant there was a fey about. One of the Seelie, a Child of Oberon. 

Xelloss knew how to deal with their kind. 
    
    ---<-{@

"This was your doing, wasn't it, little elf?" 

Puck nearly feel off the tree branch again, this time from startlement. The newcomer smiled tightly, his eyes closed. 

"As I am an honest fey, I shall have to tell ye 'yay'." Speaking in rhymes usually had a nicely disturbing effect on others. 

That didn't seem to be the case here. 

"It was love-in-idleness that you used, was it not?" 

Puck couldn't keep his eyes from widening. How could this mortal know about love-in-idleness? 

"The Unseelie," the stranger said, answering Puck's unspoken question. 

_The Unseelie? But they rarely dally with mortals._

The stranger opened his eyes, and Puck realised this was no mortal. _Uh-oh. A mazoku?_ he wondered, noting the slitted eyes. _This is NOT going according to plan._ [1] 

"I am Xelloss, Juushinkin Priest," the stranger introduced himself. 

"Robin Goodfellow," Puck said, using one of his aliases. 

The priest's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "Indeed?" 

_Uh-oh. Surely he doesn't know that name; I haven't used it in over three hundred years!_

"Oberon's pet trickster. What an interesting turn of events." 

_This is very very bad._
    
    @}->---

_"Pressing business" sounds rather ominous._

Zel was sitting with his back against a tree, deep in thought. He was peripherally aware of Lina fixing breakfast, and of Gourry attempting to converse with Amelia. Mostly, though, he was focused on the problem at hand. 

_Xelloss seemed upset, as far as one can tell with that damned mazoku. Then he disappears. What can he be doing?_
    
    ---<-{@

"Had we met under different circumstances," the priest told Puck, "we might've had an amusing time. 'C'est double plaisir de tromper le trompeur[2],' as the saying goes. Actually, I find the situation with Gourry and Amelia quite amusing." 

Puck relaxed slightly. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he'd feared. 

"However," Xelloss continued, his voice a dagger dipped in honey, "you also used your little flower on Lina-chan. And that I cannot tolerate." 

No, this was going to be as bad as Puck had feared. It was going to be much worse. 
    
    @}->---

_Maybe that priest _does_ know what's happened, even if he isn't the cause—_

Zel's train of thought was effectively interuppted as Lina situated herself in his lap. 

"Fish?" she offered with that same adoring smile she'd graced him with all morning. 

Lina was offering him food, **before** she'd finished her own breakfast?! Things were even more serious than Zel had thought! "Thank you," he finally managed. 

Instead of handing him some fish as he'd expected, Lina tore a bite-sized piece from one of the fish she had laying on a scarf beside them, and popped the morsel into his open mouth. 
    
    ---<-{@

_The chimera will regret this,_ Xelloss thought as he noted what Zelgadiss and Lina were doing. Xelloss' smile tightened, bordering on a frown. 

"Come, Robin Goodfellow, we shall speak somewhere more private." He grasped the elf's arm. Xelloss was pleased when the fey winced. 

Oh yes, Xelloss knew how to deal with their kind: cold iron. Even Oberon himself was alleged to be weakened by iron. And Xelloss just _happened_ to have with him his iron chain-mail glove, the one he'd procured after his intial encounter with the fey, ages ago. 

Xelloss dragged Puck behind him, taking great satisfaction from the little fey's hisses of pain. 

Upon reaching the heart of the forest, Xelloss released Puck. 

"This is much better, wouldn't you say, Puck?" 

The fey looked sullen. Puck obvious was unhappy that Xelloss knew of him, and that suited the preist just fine. 

"If you have a point, please feel free to make it." 

Xelloss' smile became sneering. This little elf had no idea who he was dealing with. But he would find out. "In good time. Tell me: why did you decide to play with my Lina-chan?" 

"Oh, you know..." the fey replied, grinning, "she's the **in**famous Lina Inverse! Three days here and I'd heard twice that number of stories about her. When she and her little group happened through the town I was at, I couldn't resist. Besides," he added, sullen again, "it wasn't like I **knew** I was infringing on a mazoku's territory." 

Xelloss smiled brightly. "That's right, your Lord Oberon wouldn't be pleased with you if he knew you broke that rule, as hard as he worked establishing the truce with the mazoku." 

Again the fey was startled by Xelloss' knowledge. And it was still amusing. "No, he'd probably ground me for a century," Puck conceded. "If he was in a **good** mood." 

"Well well, perhaps we can make a deal, then. I won't take offense at this, if you'll do me a _small_ favour." 
    
    @}->---

Amelia knew something weird was going on. She just wasn't sure what. Some sort of love spell, it seemed. 

_Gourry-san acts like he's in love with me...Lina-san acts like she's in love with Zelgadiss-san..._

Amelia looked at the latter two. Lina-san was feeding Zelgadiss-san bits of fish for breakfast. Zelgadiss-san did not seem at all unhappy. He was even smiling a little! 

_...and Zelgadiss-san is acting like he's in love with Lina-san. I must be the only one who wasn't affected by whatever-it-is that's at work here._ Amelia surmised. 
    
    ---<-{@

"I can't!" Puck protested. "It's—" 

"Against Oberon's rules. As is interfering with mazoku matters, if I'm not mistaken." 

"You're not," Puck admitted grudgingly. 

"Break one rule, be forgiven the other trespass. Don't worry, I don't plan on letting anyone know." 

"I'll bet," Puck muttered sotto voce. 

"Besides," the mazoku's voice was cutting, "it's not as if you have a choice." 

"Why are you doing this?" Puck had to ask. 

"Ah, that is a secret." 
    
    @}->---

Gourry watched his beloved as her brow furrowed slightly, deep in thought. She was so smart, so pretty... 

"Gourry-san," Amelia ventured carefully. "Don't you think it's rather odd that you and Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san have suddenly developed these affection?" 

"...huh?" 

"I mean," his petite darling continued, "you didn't feel anything like this for me before today, right?" 

Gourry thought hard; he wanted to impress his lady love. "I don't _think_ so." 

"And Zelgadiss-san and Lina-san never seemed to like each other before today. So, it must be a spell or a curse or something." 

Gourry wasn't so sure of that, but he wanted his dearest to be happy, so he just said, "Okay, my love. If you say so." 

Amelia gave him a strange look before returning to her silent pondering. Gourry smiled and returned to gazing at her. 
    
    ---<-{@

Lina was having a grand time. _This is much better than eating all of breakfast myself! I should've done this ages ago._

She had to admit, she enjoyed making Zel blush. He was just so cute when he blushed! Well, and the rest of the time, too, but that was beside the point. 

He had blushed seven shades of red when she'd fed him the first bite of fish. He'd said she shouldn't do that, and she'd informed him that she wanted to, and it wasn't like she wouldn't be eating as well, so that was that. 

Once he'd accepted that, Zel had even smiled. _I wonder if he knows how beautiful his smile is?_

Simple solution: tell him. 

"Y'know, Zel," she began, offering the final bite of fish, "you have a beautiful smile." 

She'd made him blush again! Taking advantage of Zel's startlement, which led him to drop his jaw (yet again), she fed him the last morsel. 
    
    @}->---

He shouldn't be enjoying Lina's attentions so much. 

Zel knew, logically, that her behavior was irregular, caused by some outside force. Said knowledge did not seem to help him repress the swell of emotion roiling within him. 

He almost hoped they couldn't find an antidote, a fact that made him feel ashamed, deeply ashamed. But how could he not hope? Just like he could not keep from imagining having mornings like this far into the future--not the madness and confusion (although with Lina around, such things seemed to follow), but like now: Lina had finished feeding the both of them breakfast, and had kept her seat on his lap. She was now cuddled against him, soft and warm and wonderful. What could he do in the face of such irresistable temptation, save give in? 

Wrapping his arms around Lina's waist, Zel smiled down at her. 
    
    ---<-{@

Puck hovered before a tall, thin tree, examining some interesting ivy. 

"Come along now," the mazoku said cheerfully, motioning with his iron-glove-clad hand. "It's time for you to undo what you've done." 

"I know, I know," Puck grumbled as he followed the floating priest. 

_I don't like him very much,_ Puck decided. 

All that had happened didn't keep Puck from getting a kick out of the scene Lina's campsite presented. The swordsman was gazing at the princess with huge, begging-puppy-dog eyes. The little princess, deep in thought, hadn't noticed. Lina Inverse and the chimera were snuggled up together under a tree. Upon seeing the latter couple, Puck frowned a bit. Stone Boy wasn't trying to fend off Lina at all. Puck wondered why that was. Or, rather, would have if Xelloss hadn't begun their little farce. 

"Look who I've found!" Xelloss announced brightly. "The little trickster who caused this mess." 

"Puck, at your service," Puck bowed with a flourish, no mean feat when one was floating several handspans above the ground. 

"I've convinced him to fix everything. Isn't that nice?" 
    
    @}->---

This strange fey had the cure. Zel knew he should be happy, or at least relieved. 

Instead, he found himself fighting against an ocean of dispair. And, like all those who tried to fight against the tide, he knew he would fail. 
    
    ---<-{@

"Um...what's broken?" Gourry asked. 

_I see the love-in-idleness doesn't improve intelligence,_ Xelloss mused with some humour. 

"Didn't you wonder why you suddenly fell in love with the lovely princess? Or why Lina Inverse fell for Stone Boy?" Puck asked. 

"And why Zelgadiss-san fell in love with Lina-san!" Amelia added. 

The chimera was in love with Lina-chan? Things were getting better and better... 
    
    @}->---

"He didn't. Or, if he did, it wasn't because of anything **I** did," Puck admitted. _Stone Boy was already in love with Lina Inverse? Can I pick 'em or **what**?!_

Puck glanced sidelong at his blackmailer. The priest was staring at Lina, or would've been if his eyes had been open. His smile was self-satisfied; apparantly Stone Boy's plight amused Xelloss as well. 

_And trouble,_ Puck added mentally. _I can definitely find trouble._
    
    ---<-{@

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, a feeling of dread growing in her. 

"I mean," the blond elf said, speaking slowly and over-enunciating each word, "that if Stone Boy fell for Lina Inverse, he did it all on his own." 

"...that's what I was afraid you meant," Amelia mumbled, blinking back hot tears. 

She'd never had a chance with Zelgadiss-san, had she? Because he'd been in love with Lina all that time. _Maybe,_ Amelia hoped guiltily, _when Lina-san is cured and Zelgadiss-san knows for certain he can't win her heart, maybe I'll have a chance._
    
    @}->---

"I used this lovely little flower called love-in-idleness to—" 

"—make this mess," Xelloss, ever the helpful mazoku, interjected. 

"_Any_way," Puck continued, surpressing the urge to scowl at the mazoku priest, "the effects of love-in-idleness can be cured by this plant: Dian's bud." Puck brandished the white blossom, gesticulating. 

"How?" the princess asked eagerly. 

"Same way I used the love-in-idleness: squeezing the juice of the flower onto their closed eyes." 

Though there was no outward change, Puck was fairly certain the mazoku didn't appreciate this lesson in the use of love-in-idleness. Good. 
    
    ---<-{@

"If you're going to fix this, do it now," Zel growled. _And stop prolonging the torment._

Puck sighed melodramatically. "What _is_ it with you people? Everyone's impatient—" 

"Allow me," Xelloss said with a wide grin, snatching the flower from the fey's hand. 

"Hey!" the fey protested, but stopped when Xelloss turned and looked at him. "Nevermind," Puck muttered. 

The priest floated over to Gourry, whether because he wanted to make sure the flower worked before trying it on Lina, or just wanted to torment Zel further, Zelgadiss couldn't say. 

"Just close your eyes," Puck instructed, floating closer to Gourry and Amelia. 

Gourry looked questioningly at Amelia. She made a "go on" gesture and he obediantly closed his eyes. 

_Well, that was something of an anticlimax,_ Zel mused. There was no flash of light, or even burst of discernable magic. Xelloss squeezed the flower's juice onto Gourry's closed eyes, Gourry blinked, then blushed furiously when he saw Amelia and began saying "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry," until the fey threw a rock at the swordsman. Gourry blinked again, and returned to what passed as normal for him. 

Then Xelloss and the fey approached Lina and Zel. 

_This is it,_ Zel thought bleakly. _It's over._ "C'mon, Lina," he said, nudging her to get up, "they're going to undo this spell." 

Lina stubbornly refused to move. "If they're going to do something weird to me, I'm going to stay right here." To emphasise her point, she grabbed Zel's arms and put them around her waist again. 

Xelloss graced Zel with a dark smile laced with smug triumph. Zel glared at the priest balefully. 

"Close your eyes, Lina-chan," the mazoku said sweetly. 

_I hate him I hate him I hate him and I hate that sadistic fey._

Lina closed her eyes. Milky-white drops of liquid splashed against her eyelids. Zel sensed the slightest hint of magic, presumably faerie magic judging from the unfamiliar feel. 

Lina opened her eyes. 
    
    @}->---

It was like coming off an adrenaline high. Just like hyper-focus returned to normal focus as the adrenaline wore off, so too did Lina's hyper-magnified emotions return to normal. 

But they were still **her** emotions, not something created by magic. 

Lina turned to look at Zel. He attempted to smile at her and failed. 

"All better?" Xelloss asked brightly. 

"Yeah," Lina confirmed, looking at the priest. "Everything's all better." 

And with that, she turned back around and kissed Zelgadiss. 
    
    ---<-{@

Grinding one's teeth while smiling is not an easy proposition. 

Xelloss had it down perfectly, and was exercising said skill. 

"Why didn't it work?" he hissed at the fey, pulling him aside. 

"It **did** work," Puck replied, a tad too smugly. "She is no longer being influenced by the love-in-idleness." 

"I'm going to send our trouble-making little fey back to his home," Xelloss announced lightly to the group, not turning to see if Lina-chan was listening or still kissing the chimera. 

The fey wisely flew in the direction of the lake from which he'd arrived. Xelloss flew after, eyes and thoughts dark. 
    
    @}->---

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. 

Lina-san was kissing Zelgadiss-san! But she'd been cured! She shouldn't be doing that unless... 

...unless she liked Zelgadiss-san back. 

Amelia ducked her head so no one would see her tears. 
    
    ---<-{@

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. 

Lina was kissing him, just like she had before. Didn't the Dian's bud work? 

Lina pulled back, took a deep breath, and smiled at him. She looked...absolutely radiant. 

"Before you ask," Lina said, humour lacing her tone, "yes, the Dian's bud did work; no, this isn't lingering effects of the love-in-idleness." 

"But..." 

Lina tsked. "Haven't you figured it out yet? I love you, Zelgadiss Greywords." 

If Rezo had appeared at that moment dressed in a pink tu-tu singing hymns to cows, Zel couldn't have been more shocked. Eyes wide, he looked at Lina, and saw the sincerity in her face. 

Finally finding his voice, Zel said the words he'd felt for a long time: "I love you, too, Lina Inverse. 
    
    @}->---

_Well, that wasn't boring. Rather fun, especially the bit at the end with Lina Inverse and Stone Boy, as Mister Nasty Mazoku was less-than-happy about it._

"Remember our agreement." Xelloss' voice was cloyingly sweet, "And if ever I see you again, you will wish I'd told Oberon of your indiscretion." 

Puck surpressed a shudder. He totally believed the preist's ability to carry out threats. 

Oh, well. He'd pay the mazoku back. Eventually. Somehow. 

"'Bye, o great Juushinkin Priest," Puck waved, before hopping onto his raft. "I won't see you later!" _I hope._

As the mists grew thick around him, Puck thought of the story he'd tell Coyote, Raven, and Anasasi (without the little detail of Xelloss' threat, of course). Would they ever be envious! 
    
    ---<-{@

Amelia had run out of tears. Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately, she hadn't decided—Zelgadiss-san and Lina-san were too enraptured by each other to notice anything short of the sun exploding, and Gourry-san seemed to be focused on watching the kissing couple, so no one had noticed Amelia crying. 

"They're happy," Gourry-san commented suddenly, his tone one of someone who'd had a revelation. "And we may not like that our best friends don't want to spend as much time with us, but it's selfish to be mad about them being happy." 

Amelia blinked. Had _Gourry-san_ just said that? Was he turning into some sort of idiot savant? 

"Plus, we'll get more to eat at breakfast, like we did today." 

No, probably not. 

But he **was** right; it was selfish to be mad at Lina-san for stealing Zelgadiss-san away. It wasn't like Amelia had ever really _had_ Zelgadiss-san in the first place. She resolved to try and be happy for them. 

She just wondered how she could manage it. 
    
    @}->---

In the space of a few moments, Zelgadiss' life had been changed. Such a thing had happened before, and he'd become a chimera. This time, however, the change was very, very welcome. 

He and Lina were still curled up under the tree, just enjoying each other's presence. 

"I'm surprised you haven't rushed us to get packed up and going," Lina commented as she traced a pattern on Zel's palm. 

"Why would I do that?" he asked, genuinely confused. 

She turned slightly and gave him a Look. "Your cure? Remember? The reason we pushed ahead past dark last night?" 

"Oh." Funny, it hadn't even crossed his mind. 

"Yeah, 'oh,'" Lina echoed, turning around and leaning back against him. 

"Actually, Lina...it just doesn't seem all that important anymore." 

"What?!" she whipped around again, and Zel distantly noted that she was quite flexible. "What do you mean? That's all you've cared about—" 

"Not _all_," Zel interrupted quietly, cupping her face in his hand. 

She smiled at him, a sweet smile that touched something deep within him. "Good. I think you're cute like this, anyway." 

_She meant that, too?_ he thought, recalling her earlier comments about him being 'cute.' _I'd thought it was just the love-in-idleness..._ He returned her smile. "If you like me this way, Lina, then that's all that really matters." 

Her smile grew wider, and she kissed him on the nose before turning back around. "I'm glad. That gives us an excuse to stay like this all day." 

And how could he refuse a request like that? 
    
    ---<-{@

The figure floated, keeping in the shadows. He'd been watching the scene before him for some time, observing, planning. 

He was not pleased. How could Lina-chan have fallen for the chimera? 

Well, it mattered not. He would do something about it. He'd have to wait, of course, until the memory of this day was less fresh, and until he was certain there was no antidote available. But that was all right. He had time, he could be patient. 

Xelloss looked at the beautiful purple flower in his hand, the petals black-tipped, the stamen blood-red. And, very quietly, he began to laugh.   


-end-   
________   
[1]Yes, that is a version of Xanatos' pet line. I figure he could've gotten it from Puck/Owen. (Hey, why not?)   
[2]trans (according to Bartlet's): "It is doubly pleasing to trick the trickster." Originally said by Jean de la Fontaine. 
    
    ^.^

   [1]: mailto:zametallium@aol.com



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